by Michael Leppert

In response to the Jan 29, 2025, Executive Order 14191, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed that a review be conducted of the Pentagon’s support for military families who choose to homeschool their kids.

The review, ordered in mid-May, includes the following statement: “Homeschooling offers an individualized approach for students and highlights the significant role parents play in the educational process.”

Hegseth said the evaluation was part of a Defense Department-wide review of educational choices for military families, following the executive order that directed the Pentagon to consider using its available funding to cover the costs of private, religious, and public charter schools for children in military families.

His statement included [the aim is] “ensuring military families receive strong educational support, maintain morale and readiness, reinforcing the overall stability and effectiveness of our military communities.”

No date for the completion of the Pentagon’s review has been announced.

According to a study by the Johns Hopkins School of Education, roughly 12 percent of active-duty military families homeschooled their children in the 2023-24 school year, twice the rate of non-military families, 6 percent. This military percentage dedication to homeschooling continued through the pandemic, when civilian schools were shuttered.

The Hopkins study found that in light of frequent relocations or separation of family members, homeschooling provides a stable, high-priority element in military families’ lives.